Potato exports at risk as 250 containers stuck at Sindh’s entry point

KARACHI: Just as the disruption caused by the goods transporters’ strike had yet to subside, Pakistan’s export sector faces yet another challenge.

The lawyers from Karachi along with members of other bar associations from across Sindh have been staging protest against the canal project on highways across Sindh, leaving 250 containers of potatoes stranded at the entry point of Sindh, delaying critical export shipments.

The protesters have set up camp in Khairpur near Sukkur, blocking traffic both from Karachi to the upcountry and vice versa. The sit-in has entered its fourth day today.

Sindh Information and Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Monady appealed to the protesters not to block the country’s main highways as part of their demonstration.

According to Patron-in-Chief of the Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association, Waheed Ahmed, the containers stranded due to the protest are bound for the port.

According to him, the containers were bound for countries in the Middle East and Far East. However, the ongoing protests have blocked access to ports, preventing timely delivery.

He warned that potatoes, being highly perishable, require temperature-controlled environments maintained through generators.

“If the containers fail to reach the ports soon, the entire consignment risks spoilage, potentially causing a loss of at least $1.5 million,” he warned.

Ahmed cautioned that if export orders were cancelled, the damage will extend beyond exporters to potato farmers as well.

He urged the Sindh government and local administrations to take immediate action and ensure that export-bound containers were transported to the port without delay in order to protect the country’s foreign exchange earnings.